Two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks, April 12, 2018.
Police were called because the men hadn’t ordered anything. They
were waiting for a friend to show up. He did as they were taken out
in handcuffs. “There must be something more to this story", is a
common reaction to these incidents. That assumption is a big part
of the problem. It does happen. All the time. Just not to you and me.

Kids in Texas, who don’t have brown skin, and aren't
Muslim (left), are allowed to carry rifles on the street.

So how did the Irving, Texas school explain why they arrested (R) Ahmed Mohamed
after bringing in his clock -- by claiming he broke the “Student Code of Conduct.”
Ahmed’s clock was seen as a “suspicious item” -- even though it was clearly a clock.

Judge Vonda Evans hands down a just sentence on an
abusive, racist, Flint, Michigan, White cop, February 3, 2016

"Looking at the one and only Black Family native to SDI/3HO/KRI
after 50 years from my perspective as a person of color I have to
ask, why are there so few Black Families? How many White Families
vs. Black Families are there after 50 years? Oh sure, there are a few
African-Americans, but they are disproportionately represented.
Think about the optics from the perspective of most people of color.
Do people of color see this disparity as a positive or as a negative?
And how many Black Kundalini Yoga teachers-trainers are there?
Isn't it time for there to be some serious mixed-race adult dialogue?

Detractors: Kindly answer questions before vilifying the messenger.

The key indicator that organizations have come of age is when steps
are taken to permit open dialogue on the issue with people of color.BTW: When asked if one Black Family after 50 years is an issue
of concern, some Sikh Dharma ministers agreed. But when asked
why the issue is never discussed, they were unable to answer.Discourse is not meant to stir up feelings of guilt. Discourse is
meant to drive people to action against injustice. Question isare we mature enough to sit down and discuss issues
of tribalism, including race, religion, and gender?"

"I advise 3HO and Sikh Dharma, including their respective
corporate boards and committees, to be aware of their inevitable
drift into 'tribalism' that afflicts all organizations. This is practiced to the
extreme in Iraq, today. Tribes tend to adopt exceptionalism to the point
where marginalization and exclusion of others reigns supreme. An example isAwtar Singh Khalsa. In this Age of Aquarius, inclusion vis-a-vis pluralism is in,
exclusion vis-a-vis tribalism is out. Those that reject inclusion shall become irrelevant."

"The human mind was created to make choices, e.g., to discriminate between
up and down, in and out, black and white, etc. We must remain aware of our
tendency to use our discretionary abilities in order to marginalize and repress
people with whom we differ. We need to constantly see to it that we advocate forpluralism, against tribalism, in the interest of justice and fairness as taught
by Guru Nanak. Our choices are to live for each other, or to live at each other."

"Organizations can become tribal and incestuous, i.e., when the 'gene pool'
of members is of one race the organization is at risk of becoming perverted in its
policies and procedures. The obvious remedy is to add outsiders to the member mix."

"People of Color who remain silent enable White people to remain culturally
illiterate. It is incumbent on those who know to teach those who do not know.Bottom line is that the 3HO/Sikh Dharma community must hear from people of
color, i.e., people of African, Asian, Native American, etc., descent, as to their
perception of the organization, as it is, today. Given the history of human nature,
Sikh Dharma can avoid creeping into exclusivity by monitoring the perceptions ofPeople of Color. Sikh Dharma is an inclusive as opposed to an exclusive path.
As Sikhs we need to practice what we teach." MSS Hari Singh Bird Khalsa

*"In 2013, the population of African Americans, including those of more than one race,
was estimated at 45 million, making up 15.2% of the total U.S. population." Source.
U.S. organizations should reflect about 15 African Americans out of every 100.

TribalismThe Unspoken Message

"As humanity moves into the Space Age, how will we resonate with Grays and
Greens when we can't relate to Blacks, Browns and Whites?" ActForDiversity.com

If these were all Blacks, how many Native Americans or Whites would resonate?

If these were all Whites, how many Native Americans or Blacks would resonate?

If these were all Blacks, how many Native Americans or Whites would resonate?

If these were all Blacks, how many Native Americans or Whites would resonate?

How many African Americans, Native Americans or Whites would resonate?

18 Things White People
Should Know/Do Before Discussing Race

"Discourse about racism is not meant to stir up feelings of guilt.
Discourse is meant to drive people to action against injustice.
Question is, are we mature enough to sit down and discuss
issues of diversity, including religion, gender and race?"

"The racists I know cannot recognize the racist they see in their mirror."

Discussions about racism should be all-inclusive and open to people of all skin colors. However, to put it simply, sometimes White people lack the experience or education that can provide a rudimentary foundation from which a productive conversation can be built. This is not necessarily the fault of the individual, but pervasive myths and misinformation have dominated mainstream racial discourse and often times, the important issues are never highlighted. For that reason, The Frisky has decided to publish this handy list that has some basic rules and information to better prepare anyone for a worthwhile discussion about racism. (See SensitivitySummit.com. See The Obama Phenomenon.)

.It is uncomfortable to talk about racism. It is more uncomfortable to live it.

.“Colorblindness” is a cop-out. The statements, “but I don’t see color” or “I never care about color,” do not help to build a case against systemic racism. Try being the only White person in an environment. You will notice color then.

.Oprah Winfrey’s success does not mean the end of racism. The singular success of a Black man or woman (i.e. Oprah, or Tiger Woods, or President Obama) is never a valid argument against the existence of racism. By this logic, the success of Frederick Douglass or Amanda America Dickson during the 19th century would be grounds for disproving slavery.

.Reverse racism is BS,but prejudice is not. Until people of color colonize, dominate and enslave the populations of the planet in the name of “superiority"; create standards of beauty based on their own colored definition; enact a system where only People of Color benefit on a large-scale; and finally, pretend like said system no longer exists, there is no such thing as reverse racism.Prejudice is in all of us*, but prejudice employed as a governing structure is something different.

(*Note:The human mind was created to make choices, e.g., to discriminate between up and down, in and out, Black and White, etc. Therefore, we must remain aware of our tendency to use our discretionary abilities in order to marginalize and repress people with whom we differ (racism). We need to constantly see to it that we advocate for pluralism, against tribalism, in the interest of justice and fairness, which are the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev. See Example of Tribalism.)

.America has not “gotten over” its race-related problems. In American History class you learned about slavery and Jim Crow, but sadly you were taught that figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks eradicated an entire 200-year history of oppression, discrimination and segregation. Your history teachers and books tried to close the race chapter on a high note, however the ongoing history of America’s systemic racism cannot be simply wrapped up and decorated with a “now we all are equal” bow.

.Buy and read a book from a Black author. Some recommendations: W.E.B Dubois; James Baldwin; Frederick Douglass; Maya Angelou; Toni Morrison; Ralph Ellison; Alice Walker; and Zora Neale Hurston would be a great start. (See Required Reading. See Recommended Reading.)

.Realize that segregation is still rampant. Step outside and take a look around your neighborhood. Lacking people of color much? That is called segregation. It is not by chance, though sometimes by choice. (Refer to “red-lining” per Google search.)

About your neighborhood again: Displacing people of color much? That is called gentrification. Think about the schools you went to, and the classes you had. Not too many minorities in either? (Refer to school segregation, and in-school segregation per Google search.)

.Programs or initiatives that target systemic racism are not “charity.” We do not refer to the 200 years of free labor provided by enslaved Blacks as charity. Or the Black property stolen by Whites during the decades of state-supported terrorism? Or, say, the unfair banking practices that have completely decimated the Black middle class through foreclosures? (Refer to subprime mortgages and Black families per Google search.)

.Black on Black crime does not exist. There are countless White people committing crimes against White people, but “White-on-White crime” is strangely absent from the rhetoric reporting everything from elementary school shootings to world wars. Why should crimes committed by and against people of color be labeled any differently?

.White people will not become the minority in America in the next 20 years. “Whites” were originally Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs). The definition of “White,” as a racial classification, has evolved to include “Whiter-skinned” minority groups who were historically discriminated against, barred from “Whiteness” and thus had little access to opportunity. Some examples: Italians and the Irish (who were frequently referred to as n***ers in the 1800’s), Jewish people and more recently Hispanic (George Zimmerman) and Armenian minority groups. Such evolutions, however, always exclude Blacks.

.Hip-hop culture is no more dysfunctional than Wall Street culture. At its worst, commercial “Black culture” is a raw reflection of broader society. The caricatured imagery of drugs, money, and women are headlined most prominently by Wall Street, politicians, and media moguls, but this reality never comes to reflect on White people. America spends more on weaponry than the most of the rest of the world combined but somehow it is the “violence” of hip-hop that is an exclusive pathology.

.Black people are angry about racism, and they have every right to be. Anger is a legitimate and justified response to years of injustice and invisibility.

.There are poor White people, but racism and discrimination still exists. The plight of the poor White Midwest always makes a convenient appearance to deflect any perceived accusation of privilege or to derail conversations of racism. Racist American policy was never about securing the success of all White people, but rather about legalizing the disenfranchisement of Blacks and other People of Color.

.Silence does nothing. Blank stares and silence do not further this difficult but necessary conversation. ("It is incumbent on those who know to teach those who do not know." Hari Singh Bird)

.White guilt is worthless, but White action isn’t. One of the most immediate responses to racial discourse is that the effort is all about making White people feel guilty. Discourse about racism is not meant to stir up feelings of guilt, it is meant to drive people to action against injustice. During the times of slavery and the era of the Civil Rights Movement, both Black and White people played and continue to play instrumental roles in Black advancement.

.Black people are not obligated to answer the, “Well, what do we do about it?”question. Though many of us do and are not heard. The call for reparations in the form of “Baby Bonds” is a great idea. So is desegregating our classrooms and closing the school-to-prison pipeline. These courageous voices are speaking very loudly... it is time to start listening. --

"The human mind was created to discriminate, e.g., make choices between up
and down, in and out, black and white, etc. We must always remain aware of our
tendency to use our discretionary abilities in order to marginalize and repress
people with whom we differ. We need to constantly see to it that we advocate forpluralism, against tribalism, in the interest of justice as taught by Guru Nanak Dev.